Going to Munich and Salzburg and wanting to see the sights .?

First of all, relax. Even not knowing the language, it is easier to get around Europe than in the US.

You have a few options for seeing the castles at Schwangau (I assume these are the one's you're talking about, not Linderhof, the Nymphenburg, etc). You can take a local train to Fuessen, then walk or take a shuttle bus to Schangau. Then, just follow the crowds to the ticket station. Or, you could book a bus tour from Munich... I don't know specifically of any, but you could try Google.

Chester,
Do not worry about communicating. On our first trip to Germany and Salzburg, I learned "travellers" German. Everytime I tried to ask a question or order in German, they would answer me in English! I think they appreciate the effort, but there was only one or two instances where someone did not speak English. We did book our Neuschwanstein Castle tickets ahead of time to avoid the rush. I don't remember the website, but I'm sure you can Google it. Also, if you have a car, you can drive about 30-45 east of Salzburg and enjoy the mountains/lakes. We did it as an after thought and it was one of the highlights of our trip!

I speak passable German, and, for me, getting into areas (off the tourist beaten path, so to speak) where no one speaks English, is an exciting challenge. That said, traveling in that area, Bavaria, was frustrating to me because so many people there spoke passable English.

As long as you stay in areas frequented by tourists, people will speak English - not everyone, but enough. English is kind of the Linqua Franca of tourism. I once watched a German dockmaster arranging a tour with a chinese tour guide, in English, the only language they both understood.

We went to Germany Dec 08. We took the Radius tours to Dachau & Ludwigs' Castle. It was a very nice way to see the sights. To Ludwigs Castle it would've been nice to have more time to hang around longer. The tour people were very good. Have a great trip & don't worry about the language. We spoke very little.

Hey Chester! I'll be leaving for my first trip to Germany in a few short weeks. I'll be visiting Munich & Salzburg also. Like you I was nervous when I started planning but if you do your research you'll find there's really nothing to it. I didn't use a tour company for any of my plans and you don't need one to visit King Ludwig's Castles. You can reach the castles from Munich by rail. Take a train from Munich to Fuessen. There are buses leaving from Fuessen that will take you to Schwangau in 10 minutes. The buses are timed to the arrival of the trains. You can make a reservation online to tour the castles prior to your trip. They'll e-mail your confirmation, the time of your tours and you'll pay upon arrival. The good thing about using this method is you don't have to stand in line at the ticket center. You can check rail connections at the Deustche Bahn website below:

http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml

You can make your castle ticket reservations at the following website:

http://www.hohenschwangau.de/index.php?id=430

Good luck in your planning! I'm sure you'll do just fine. There's alot of great folks on this site who are willing to help.

Chester, As others have said, so many people speak English that you will have no trouble. My German is weak (learned in college days long ago), yet I tried it out occasionally but would not have needed to. If ever you need help understanding something in German, I think you will find, as I have, that people are very willing to help. Instructions for the Munich Metro ticket dispensers are in German only as I recall, but people offered to help me without my asking. All-in-all, you'll be surprised how easy it is to communicate.

If you go to Dachau, take the train, not a tour; you'll have much more flexibility. It's very easy to figure out the route. Also, it's extremely easy to take the train from Munich to Salzburg. Go to the information center in Mozart Square (you can walk there from the train station if you're used to walking) to get information on tours. Or, better yet in some instances, hook up with some other folks and create your own "tour." Salzburg is a great walking city, and you can walk almost everywhere. A tour is helpful only if you want to visit something outside the city or want the kind of information a guide may give you about a site. In both Munich and Salzburg it's so easy to get around on your own and not be limited or herded along by a guide.

What to see? In Munich--Viktual Market (near Marienplatz--buy food for lunch), art museums, Hofbrauhaus (touristy, but a "Munich must"), Frauenkirche bell tower, the English Gardens. In Salzburg--Hohensalzburg, Baroque churches, the Old City; for a good beer hall--Augustiner Brewery in a monastery. Folks can tell you how to get there-it's a nice walk 20-30 minutes from the Old City. Lots of folks take the Sound of Music Tour outside Salzburg. That can be one way to see some sights outside the city. Relax, go with the flow, and enjoy!

I actually think going on some tours is a good idea, you get to see a lot of the major sights, get a good orientation for the city, and you get to learn the history of the city at the same time. Walking or bike tours can be a lot of fun. Look at some of their websites and see if any of them look interesting to you. I have also heard a lot of good things about "Mikes Bike Tours" but I don't have the website bookmarked. Just google it.

http://www.radiustours.com/html/home.html

http://www.munichwalktours.de/

http://www.dark-history.eu/

Thank all of you so very much!! I have been checking out all the web sites for tours and and things to do. This is a great place and you all are a great bunch of people. I can't wait to get back and start giving advice to others..Leaving 4/09-4/24...

If you take a tour anywhere, I would recommend the Radius tour to Dachau. The guide will be a native English speaker. We got so much more out of having a guide there. That said, most other places you won't have any trouble getting around on your own. I don't speak any German and we were there for almost two weeks.

Salzburg is easy. Take a train from Munich and walk around town. Virtually everything is within a walking radius of the old town center. It's always good to start at the TI for a street map and some suggestions. There are tours available like the Sound of Music tour but you don't need to do those to have a great experience.

Munich has great sites. I'm a big fan of the Alte Pinoketec (art gallery with classic art) but you might prefer the Neue Pinoketec (up to impressionism) or the Moderne (modern art). During good weather the English Gardens are great.

A tour may be the best way to see Ludwig's castles. It's out of the way and once you arrive, you need tickets. If you do it on your own, either arrive very early or get your tickets ahead of time. Either way you can get the information you need at the TI at the Munich train station.

More people speak English well than don't so you shouldn't have too much trouble asking directions and communicating. It's good to learn a few basic polite words to begin a conversation. Check out www.BBC.com/languages for a free online language course or get some language courses from the library.

There are lots of good tours from Salzburg. I like doing some "company" tours just to get some good info. Check Tralvel Bound. You can see what is available. Either book ahead of time with them or wait until you arrive. In Salzburg there are lots of tours that leave from across the stree from Mrirabel Palace on the main road from the train station to Old town. Most depart either at 8:00, 9:00 or 1:00. You can tour salt mines, Hitler's Eagles Nest, Sound of Music sites, the Salzkamergut Lake area, etc.